Finally he sighed and gave me a sad smile. “It is terrible, no matter what happened,” he said. He glanced once more at his house. “Well, I best get home. Maestro is probably having a fit right about now. He’ll need to be let out.”
“Sure,” I said. I could tell what he really wanted to do was walk away from the conversation, but I let his excuse slide. If I wasn’t so involved in the case already, I might feel the same.
Jules started to get into his car, but I stopped him as another thought hit me.
“Hey, Jules,” I said.
“Hmm?”
“Do you happen to know if Heidi Lawyer was seeing anyone outside of her husband?” It was a stab in the dark, but Jules Phan seemed pretty in touch with the pulse of the town. It might save me a trip.
He thought about it a moment, tapping a finger on his chin. I noted the nail was polished pink, with little yellow smiley faces.
“Sorry,” he said with a shake of his head. “If she was, then she’s kept it pretty secret. I’ve heard nothing of the sort.”
“Thanks.”
Jules got into his car as I slid into my own. He backed out, honked once, and then headed for his own driveway.
I sat there a moment longer, thinking. Heidi had done a pretty good job of concealing her relationship, which seemed to be a hard thing to do in a town like this. It was a wonder a memo hadn’t been sent to the local gossip club. She’d been far more careful with her indiscretion than her husband had been.
I started up the car and backed down the drive. If the rumor mill didn’t know whom she’d cheated with, then I’d just have to go and ask her.
Apprehension for what I was about to do built up as I got closer to the Lawyer residence. Heidi was a wreck—which was totally understandable—and I hated having to ask her more questions, but it seemed like I was the only person asking them. Sure, it would probably be best if I let the police handle it, but I’d seen nothing that led me to believe they would do anything about my theories.
By the time I pulled up in front of the Lawyer house, it was starting to get dark. A light was on inside and the driveway was clear. I got out of the car, mentally prepping myself to ask the hard questions as I strode toward the door. This was going to be difficult, to say the least.
I rapped on the door, forgoing the doorbell. A moment later the door opened and Regina Harper appeared. Her face instantly turned a deep shade of purple.
“I thought I told you to leave us alone,” she said through clenched teeth.
“I just need to talk to Heidi for one second.” I tried to look past her, but Regina moved to stand in my way.
“Go,” she said. “If you ever come back here, I’ll have you arrested.”
It seemed like a lot of people were saying that lately. How could Raymond Lawyer hate this woman as much as he did when the two of them thought so much alike? Maybe getting the both of them together would be like an anger time bomb that increased in power the closer they were to one another.
“Please,” I said. Then on a whim I shouted past her, “Heidi! Are you there?”
“Get out!” Regina shouted. She actually pushed me hard on the shoulder, which surprised me, considering how it could have damaged one of her nails. “Now.”
“Mom . . . let her in. It’s okay.” Heidi sounded like she’d been crying. Again. With a mother like Regina Harper, I’d probably cry a lot, too.
Despite her daughter’s words, Regina steadfastly refused to move. She lowered her voice and gave me a glare I was sure she’d used on her daughter a million times. It could have scared the bear Mason talked out right back into its cave, but I refused to be swayed.
“You’ve done enough,” she hissed at me. “I’m tired of you snooping around, making my daughter’s life miserable. Can’t you just let it go?”
“No,” I said. “I can’t.”
And then I went for broke.
Regina was wearing heels and wasn’t a big woman by any stretch of the imagination. I might not be in the best shape in the world, but I was wearing tennis shoes and was determined. I rushed forward and pushed past the older woman before she could stop me. She grabbed my arm with an insulted gasp. I jerked away, earning myself a couple of scrapes from her nails, though only one of them bled.
“Heidi?” I called, hurrying into the house. I found her sitting in the living room, red-faced. She looked so weary, I felt guilty for disturbing her, but I had to know.
“Get out! Get out! Get out!” Regina stormed into the room, took one look at the pleading eyes of her daughter, and then threw up her hands before storming right back out.
“I’m sorry about my mom,” Heidi said. Her voice was husky from all of the crying. And probably some of the shouting she’d more than likely done lately. I couldn’t imagine she’d sit back and let her mom treat her like that without ever fighting back. “She’s only trying to look out for me.”
I immediately wondered how far Regina would go to protect her daughter, but I didn’t voice the thought. I didn’t need to be pointing fingers when I didn’t have any proof, especially while Heidi was so miserable. She didn’t need to think her mother might have killed her husband, even if it was true.
“Heidi, I have to know. Who did you cheat on your husband with?” I spit it out fast, hoping the bluntness of the question would cause her to answer automatically.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The look she gave me was one of a wild animal, trapped in a corner with no way out. Her eyes brimmed over with tears and she buried her face in her hands.
“I can’t. Brendon . . . I’m so sorry.” Sobs wracked her body.
I bit my lip. The right thing to do would be to go over and comfort her and then leave without asking any more painful questions. If I hadn’t already dismissed Heidi as a suspect, I would have now. Sure, it could be guilt that was causing her to act like this, but I didn’t believe it. She genuinely missed her husband.
“Heidi,” I said, forcing myself to go on. Sometimes you just have to press forward, even if you don’t want to. It might be the only chance I’d get. “Who was it? Could he have hurt Brendon?”
She shook her head and continued to sob. The woman was a total mess and I was only making it worse. I wasn’t even sure she was shaking her head because she didn’t think the guy could have hurt her husband or if she was simply refusing to answer. As far as I knew, she was no longer hearing anything I said.
I knelt in front of her and squeezed her knee. “I know it’s hard,” I said. “But if there is even a chance this person could have killed Brendon, I need to know.” I paused. “The police need to know,” I amended.
As if on cue, I heard sirens in the distance. Regina entered the room with a smile.
“I estimate you have about two minutes.”
I shot her a glare and then turned back to Heidi. “Please,” I said, “just tell me.”
“Leave her alone. You’ve done enough.”
Heidi covered her ears and continued to shake her head. There was no way I was going to get anything out of her, so I turned to her mother, instead.
“Who did she cheat on Brendon with?”
Regina showed me her teeth in a feral snarl. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“And if it solves the murder?”
“I don’t care. Whoever killed the man deserves a medal.”
“Mom!” Heidi sobbed even harder.
It was then I began to wonder what Regina had been saying to her daughter before I’d gotten there. The poor woman had already been in tears when I arrived, as if her mom had been doing or saying something Heidi didn’t want to hear. Could she have been confessing to the murder? Had she been trying to force her daughter to forget about Brendon and run off and marry some rich guy who could support the both of them? I had no way of knowing, and asking would get me nowhere.
“I’ll find out,” I said. “Either from you or from someone else.”
“It’ll be hard from your jail cell.” Regin
a glanced at the gold watch on her wrist. “Less than a minute.”
I cursed silently and took one last imploring glance at Heidi. She was in no condition to acknowledge my presence anymore.
I started for the door, figuring I best cut my losses before the police arrived, but Regina stood in my way.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
The sirens were getting closer and were moving fast. I’m not sure what she’d told the cops to get them to hurry so much, but I imagine it couldn’t have been good for my image. Despite the fact I was the one who was bleeding, I was pretty sure Regina would say I’d attacked her on my way in.
“Let me go,” I said. I took a step to go past her and she moved to stand in my way. I could easily shove her over, what with her small size and heels, but that would only put me in more hot water.
“No.”
“Mom!”
“Argh!”
The sirens reached a crescendo and a cruiser tore into the driveway like the place was on fire. The car door opened and footsteps hurried to the door. I could hear the jangling of keys. I prayed the officer on duty would be Paul Dalton. He’d defuse the situation without arresting me for something I didn’t do.
“Mrs. Harper? Mrs. Lawyer? Are you okay?”
I recognized the voice. It was definitely not Paul.
“She’s still in here,” Regina called. “The door’s open. Hurry before she escapes.”
“Escapes?” I gasped. I was just standing there, without a weapon, without any attempt to run. She was acting as if she’d caught me in the middle of ransacking the place.
The door opened and Officer Buchannan came in. He took one look at me and his face erupted into a savage grin.
“Well, well, well,” he said. “Looks like you can’t seem to stay out of trouble.” He reached into a pocket and came out with a zip strip. “Please turn around.” His smile was as victorious as Regina’s.
I wanted to argue, to tell him what had really happened, but then again, what really happened was that I’d arrived uninvited, forced my way into the house, past the older woman, to ask Heidi painful questions about an active police case. Was there any possible way I could spin this and not make myself look like an idiot?
I turned and put my hands behind my back. Officer Buchannan read me my rights as he grabbed my wrists a little harder than he needed to and zipped me up. He leaned forward so that when he spoke, I could feel his hot breath on my neck. It smelled vaguely of tacos.
“Let’s go,” he said, spinning me around. And then, to himself more than me, he added. “Oh, I am so going to love this.”
20
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said, shifting uncomfortably on the couch in the interrogation room. Officer Buchannan was leaning against the wall, leering at me, in almost the exact same position he had been in the last time I’d been here. Unfortunately, Paul wasn’t at my side to make me feel better. Neither was his mother, though I had a feeling I was going to be seeing her soon enough.
Buchannan smiled at me, nodded once, and then continued to stare.
Grumbling to myself, I leaned back, hoping the wait wouldn’t be too terribly long. Buchannan hadn’t taken the zip strips off. That meant that by leaning against the back of the couch, I was putting pressure on my shoulders and wrists. Right then, though, I didn’t care. If it had been any other cop, I probably would have been told to go home. But no . . . I got Buchannan, the man with a chip on his shoulder. His only purpose in life seemed to be causing me trouble, and all because I’d gone on a date with Officer Dalton.
I’d already tried to reason with him, but it was like talking to a wall. Heidi had told me to come in and Regina had grabbed for me, not the other way around. There really wasn’t anything they could charge me with.
Well, maybe obstruction. That one would be kind of hard to dodge.
The door opened and a tired-looking Chief Dalton entered. She looked me up and down, glanced over at Buchannan, who was grinning his head off, and then heaved a huge sigh.
“What now?” she asked. “Can’t you stay out of trouble?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Maybe the claim would work on her, whereas it had been met with smugness by Buchannan.
“Mrs. Regina Harper claims you shoved her out of the way to enter the Lawyer residence uninvited in order to ask questions best left to the police.”
“I didn’t shove her,” I said. “Heidi invited me in and Regina was in the way. I may have bumped her, but she grabbed for me!” I twisted around on the couch to show her my arm, where only one mark remained. The scratch looked so small, it could easily have come from my cat. “I swear I wasn’t causing any trouble.”
“Well,” Patricia said, sitting down on the edge of the table. “Heidi Lawyer apparently agrees with you. Her mother doesn’t like it and has tried to press charges, but her daughter won’t have any of it.” She glanced back at Buchannan. “Why am I here exactly?”
His smug smile slipped a little. “I thought you would want to know about this.”
“I could have read the report.” Patricia stood. “And why is she still stripped? Why was it done at all? Did she try to resist?”
“Well, no. . . .”
“Goddamn it, Buchannan.” She turned to me. “Stand up.”
I stood so fast, it was as if I’d been shot. Patricia spun me around, whipped out a knife, and then cut away the zip strip. I immediately started rubbing at my wrists.
“I’m tired of this,” she said, walking over to where Buchannan was now cowering. “Just because she’s boffing my boy doesn’t mean you need to make an example out of her.”
“Wait!” I said. “I’m not . . . boffing him.” If I hadn’t already been blushing with embarrassment, I sure was now.
“Get out and do your job,” Patricia said, stepping back so Buchannan could leave. He gave me a glare that could have melted steel before storming out.
“The man is intent on making me look bad,” Patricia said, her voice much softer now. “He thinks I’m treating you differently just because of who you’re with.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Denying sleeping with her son seemed out of the question—she was going to believe what she wanted to believe—and I really didn’t want to try to explain why I’d actually been over to the Lawyer place. I had no idea how Chief Dalton would react.
“You’re lucky this time,” she said. “Regina Harper isn’t one to mess with. That woman will sue anyone who irritates her.”
“Heidi told me I could come in.” I sounded petulant. It probably wasn’t the best way to win her over.
“Which is probably why you aren’t sitting in a cell right now.”
Okay, that was fair. I really needed to start thinking about my plans ahead of time. If I kept acting on a whim, I was either going to get myself into some serious trouble, or maybe end up as the murderer’s next victim. Neither scenario was all that appealing.
“I don’t want you going over there again,” Patricia said, putting on her serious “I’m in charge” voice.
“But what if... ,” I trailed off at the look she was giving me. There would be no buts here.
“No buts,” she said, as if to prove the point. “You don’t go over there. If you do, I’m going to have to stick you in the cell you’ve manage to avoid so far.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “I’ll have no choice.”
I grumbled a bit at this, but I nodded. I’d just have to find another way to get the information from Heidi. Without getting arrested, of course.
“Now,” Patricia said, standing, “I’ve had someone take your car from impound back to your house.”
“What? How am I going to get home?”
Patricia smiled. “I got you a ride.” She turned toward the door, paused, and then looked back at me. “It’ll only be a few minutes more before you can go. Sit tight and please try to stay out of trouble.”
I sat back down as she walked out, closing the door behind her.
I just had to keep reminding myself that it would all work out in the end. As long as Death by Coffee survived, I would, too.
Then again, with the way things were going, I wasn’t so sure I’d have a job in a few weeks. We could only keep going at our current rate for so long. If we didn’t start pulling in customers soon, we’d be forced to give up the store, move back home with our parents, and more than likely have to start selling blood just so we could afford ramen noodles.
Could things possibly get any worse?
The door clicked open; and as if to prove that my night could indeed get worse, Paul Dalton walked in.
“Here again, I see,” he said, coming inside.
“I take it you’re my ride?”
He nodded. Of course, he was. His mother was still trying to play matchmaker, even though I’d been arrested twice already. Maybe she thought her son would be able to tame me.
“Mom told me what happened,” he said, leaning on the same spot on the table where Patricia had just vacated. I wondered if that is where all of the cops leaned when they were about to lecture someone.
“It was blown out of proportion,” I said. “Heidi told me I could go in. Regina just got in the way.”
“You shouldn’t have been over there, anyway.”
“And why not?” I was getting angry about everyone telling me what I could and couldn’t do. Sure, they might be right, but darn it, I wanted to make my own choices—no matter how dumb they might be.
“Because you are involving yourself in an active police investigation, perhaps?” He glanced down at my chest. “I don’t see a badge. Do you?”
I looked away. “No.” I crossed my arms and pouted. I felt sixteen again. If only I could recapture the smooth skin and trim body, then perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.
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